Refrigerating show case



Jan. 15, 1935.

c. -E. RORRER Er Al. REFRIGERATING SI'IOW CASE Filed March 26, 1929 e MMW P f .a MMM. .m fw.. a,

Patented Jan. 1,5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATING SHOW CASE Charles E. Rorrer and Albert R. Mitterer, Denver, Colo., assignors to Stadium Stores, Inc.,

Denver, Colo.

Our invention relates to refrigerated show cases of the character shown and described in United States Letters Patent No. 1,873,852 issued to us August 23, 1932, of which the present ap- 5 plication is a continuation in part.

An important object of the invention is to provide means for simultaneously cooling and moistening vegetables and fruits that are on open display. Heretofore it has been customary to attempt to keep vegetables fresh by continually f' moistening them, but in warm climates the moisture in fact hastens wilting and decomposition. Moreover, the custom heretofore has been to keep perishable materials in an enclosed refrigerator, with the attendant objection that display of any value has been diiicult if not impossible, and the goods are not then readily accessible to prospective purchasers.

An object of the present invention is to provide refrigerating means which will permit an attractive display in the open air but prevent early wilting.

Another object is to provide a refrigerator that will furnish space for more perishable articles inside the refrigerator, rendering them readily visible and easily accessible. l

A further object is to provide a slide adjacent to the display for a basket or other carrying means, and to aline a scale with the slide so that the basket or other means may be slid directly on to the scale from the slide.

Still further objects reside in novel details of construction and novel combinations and 'arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a broken plan view of a refrigerated show case embodying the foregoing objects, tak- 40 en on the line 1-1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 3a are broken elevations of adjusting means used in the invention, taken along the line 3-3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a reduced elevation looking in the direction of arrows 4 of Figure 1. y

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective showing a detail of the top of the case.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the reference numeral 5 designates the insulated iloor of the refrigerating show case of the present invention. Front and rear insulated doors are respectively indicated at 6 and '7. A space near the front door contains shelving 8 for small articles.

Above this space is a shelf 9 carrying slide rails 10. Alined with the upper surface of the rails is a weighing scale platform 12 and dial 13. A basket, or other carrying means, can be easily slid from along the rails on to the scale platform without lifting or lowering same. The dial 13 of the scale has been set between the rails for protection.

The case has a display top, compartment having a glass front wall 14. 'I'he top compartment has a metallic bottom 15 for the conduction of cold from a set of cooling pipes 16 directly below the same to display material thereabove. As can be seen, the pipes 16 not only cool the interior of the case, but also vegetables above same.

The bottom 15 of the top compartment is tilted so that fruits and vegetables thereon may be more readily seen from the front of the case. Moreover, the tilt carries the illusion to a prospective customer that there is a larger quantity on display than actually exists. The ordinary observer will feel that the top of the pile is at the rear end and that the pile extends to a horizontal floor.

This tilt with its corresponding illusion is valuable in merchandising since a small quantity of fruits or vegetables will thereby make an attractive display and since the larger the quantity on display, the greater the invitation is to buy. Figures 3 and 3a show a rack 17 containing alternate shallow slots 18 and deep slots 19. Rods 20 are disposed in the slots. 'I'he ends of the rods bear against a support 31 for the glass front 14. The rods may be placed nearer the cold top plate 15 by placing them in the deep slots, as shown in Figure 3a, or may be raised to the higher position by placing them in the shallow slots 18, as shown in Figure 3, depending upon the nature of merchandise displayed.

When a considerable amount of cold is not desired, as in the case of boxes of berries, for instance, plates may be placed on the upper edges of the display top, as shown at 21. The front edges of the plates 21 rest on the glass wall 14 and each has an upward flange 22 to prevent merchandise from sliding off of the plates. The rear edge of the plates 21 have downward flanges 23 caught over the upper edge of a rear wall 24 of the case.

A sprinkler system is shown above the case, including a sprinkler pipe 25 apertured on the under side for the discharge of water over vegetables on top of the tase. A hood 26 is disposed above the pipe 25 to preventI stray streams of water from going elsewhere than on the merchandise below.

The case has a drain 27 connected with the top of the ease to catch and carry off water draining from vegetables on the rods 20. The drain 27 is preferably connected with a low point of the top of the case, as shown.

Suitable partitions 28 may be used to divide the top of the case into sections of desired size, depending upon the amount and kind oi merchandise to be displayed.

The partitions 28, the rear wall 24, and the glass front wall 14, provide shallow bins on the top of the show case. The width of the bins may easilybe adjusted by moving the partitions 28 laterally. In order to vary the size of the bins formed by the partitions 28, the partition may be made adjustable by providing the rear and front walls of the bin with upright slots 32, as shown in Fig. 5, and by forming the partitions of their ends with tongues 33 that loosely t into the slots.

The doors 6 and '7 respectively have lwindQws 29 and 30 so that merchandise in the case can be seen Without opening the doors.

The operation is thought to be clear from the foregoing. Vegetables and fruits placed on top of the case may be subjected simultaneously to both moisture and cold, which is the most effective way of prolonging the life of such perishable materials.

'Ihe interior of the case is easily accessible by the customer through the door 6, while clerks may easily replenish the stock therein through the other door 7, without interfering with the customers. l f

The customer may weigh any desired groceries by merely sliding a container on to the platform 12 of the scales. The weight may then be noted and the groceries desired to be weighed may then be put in, and the weight of the container deducted from the gross weight.

The trays 21 are of course removed in those sections where merchandise is placed directly on the rods 20. By means of. the transparent front wall 14, a customer on the other side of the store may see the depth and kind of merchandise displayed therein. By this means, a. customer standing in the store can see all of the merchandise on display.

Changes may be made in the various features just described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without avoiding infringement of the hereunto appended claims, since we are entitled to equivalents before the com'ts.

What We claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A show case for the display of goods, a slide comprising parallel rails extending along the display, and a weighing scale having a platform, the upper surface of which is alined with the upper surfaces of the rails, and the platform substantially abutting the rails, and forming a continuation of said slide.

2. A show case for the display of goods, a slide comprising parallel rails extending along the display, and a weighing scale having a platform alined with the rails, forming a continuation of said slide and having a dial disposed between the rails, below the upper surfaces of the rails and adjacent to the platform.

3. A show case having a compartment for the storage of merchandise, and provided with transparent doors in the front wall thereof for the display and removal of merchandise from Said compartment, said compartment having a sloping top portion for the display of additional merchandise, the remainder of said top lying in a substantially horizontal plane at the base of the sloped portion, a slide extending along the sloping portion above said doors, on said horizontal portion and adapted for the sliding support of the merchandise, and a weighing scale having a platform aligned with and substantially abutting the slide and forming a continuation of said slide.

4. In a show case, a storage compartment, a tilted bin at the top thereef for the reception of merchandise, and forming a permanent top for said compartment, a flanged tray for the reception of merchandise resting on the front and rear walls of the bin, a ange on the tray being hooked over the rear wall to prevent gravitational displacement, said tray having an upstanding flange along its lower edge to prevent displacement of the merchandise.

5. In a store of the character described, a display stand having asloping top, walls at the upper and lower edges of the top, and laterally adjustable partitions connected with the walls, to divide the top into stalls for the support the different kinds of merchandise, said walls being slotted to selectively receive said partitions, and a iianged tray for the reception of merchandise resting on the front and rear walls of the top, a :Gange on the tray being hooked over the rear wall to prevent gravitational displacement.

6. In a show case, a storage compartment, an open, tilted bin forming a permanent top therefor, and a transparent wall at the front of the bin to provide a clear view of the merchandise at the lowest point in the bin, and a rack in the bottom of the bin effective to space merchandise therein from said bottom, and means for adjustably positioning said rack in different positions each substantially parallel to the bottom wall.

'7. A show case of the character described, a display compartment, a display bin disposed thereabove, a sprinkler disposed above said bin, and an adjustable rack in the bin eiective to space merchandise of selective levels from the bottom of the bin.

8. A show case of the character described, having its top formed by a display bin, a rack in the bin effective to space merchandise from the bottom of the bin, said rack comprising rails having two series of slots and a series of cross-rails, one of said series of slots being of greater depth than the other, whereby the rails may be positioned'at different heights from the door of the bin.

9. In a show case, an open bin, and a rack in the bin for the support of merchandise composed of cross bars having slots of diierent depths, and rods resting in slots of the bars.

10. In a show case, an open bin and a rack in the bin for the support of merchandise, composed of cross bars having slots therein of diierent effective depths, and rods resting in selected slots of the cross bars, the selection of slots determining the relative elevation of the rack with respect to the bin, and a sprinkler disposed above said rack.

11. A refrigerating case having a cooling chamber for merchandise, an open display bin above the chamber forming a partial top closure for the case, and a compartment in communication with the chamber, the compartment having a top forward of the display bin to provide a weighing shelf and to complete the top closure of the case, said weighing shelf including weighing means built therein to present a surface substantially iiush with the shelf.

12. In a show case, a slanting bin at the top thereof, having iront and rear walls, and a flanged tray above the bin, the tray resting on the front and rear walls of the bin, a flange on the tray being hooked over the rear wall to prevent downward displacement, and said tray having an upwardly extending merchandise-retaining rim along its iront edge.

13. A show case of the character described, having its top formed by a display bin, a rack in the bin to space merchandise from the bottom of the bin, said rack comprising a series of bars, and rails having two series of slots for the support of said bars, one of said series being of greater depth than the other, whereby the bars may be positioned at different distances from the bottom.

14. In a show case, a bin, and a rack in the bin for the support o! merchandise, composed of cross bars having alternate slots of diierent depths and rods resting in alternate slots of the bars.

CHARLES E. RORRER. ALBERT R. 

